Cancer can be brought under control in this century, the leader of the American Cancer Society said during a recent trip to Syracuse. More advocacy is key, said John Seffrin, the society’s chief executive officer.

“We have to have people speak up and say, ‘we need more money for research,’ ‘we need to insure that people are protected from second-hand smoke,’ and ‘we need to make sure that if someone has cancer, they get the care they need,’” Seffrin said.

Already, medical science knows how to prevent more than half of all cancers from occurring, Seffrin said.